‘The Turnaround,’ Trea Turner and Phillies fan Jon McCann’s viral standing ovation story, becomes documentary by Barack Obama’s production company
A documentary featuring the story of loyal Philadelphia Phillies fan Jon McCann and player Trea Turner is set to premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on Sunday. The documentary is directed by Philadelphia native Kyle Thrash, and produced by two-time Academy Award winner Ben Proudfoot, along with Higher Ground Productions, a company founded by former American President Barack Obama.
The documentary follows the chain of events that led to Trea Turner receiving a standing ovation from the Phillies fans after initially struggling following his big move to the club.
Hitting just .235 with a .657 OPS at the time, Turner was considered by many as a flop. McCann suggested that the fans should show their player support instead of booing him, which ultimately went viral.
McCann's post eventually led to a standing ovation for Turner from 42,000 people at Citizen's Bank Park. The moment is credited with being one of the turning points of Trea's season, and he went on to have an exceptional postseason (.347 with a 1.033 OPS, three HRs and 5 RBIs). He and the Phillies made the NLCS but ultimately ran out of steam against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
A video of the now-famous moment can be seen below:
Trea Turner's NL batting title hopes take a hit as Phillies fall to Braves
The Philadelphia Phillies lost 7-2 to the Atlanta Braves on Friday, as Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia had a standout night at the plate with two home runs in three at-bats. Braves starter Reynaldo Lopez also registered his second quality start against the hosts this month, only conceding one run each time he has faced the Phillies in August.
Trea Turner went 0-for-4 in the game against the Braves as his batting average dropped to .299. That's a big blow to his hopes of securing the NL batting title. He's currently third behind the Braves' Marcell Ozuna (.309) and the San Diego Padres' Luis Arraez (.307).
If Turner wins the batting title this season, he will be the first Phillies player to win the award since Richie Ashburn won it in 1958 with a .350 average.
Next, the Phillies take on the Braves once again in game three of the series on Saturday, as Zack Wheeler starts for the hosts.